Hill hoping to keep Cork City buzzing
Assistant manager Dave Hill is hoping Cork City can draw inspiration from the county's victorious hurling team ahead of their UEFA Cup first-round clash with Slavia Prague.
Cork claimed their second consecutive All-Ireland title by beating Galway at Croke Park on Sunday and the soccer team will be looking to make it a doubly successful week in the Czech Republic tonight.
Hill said: “In Cork they love their sport. They have just won the hurling title and it is very big sporting-wise, so hopefully we can do it too.”
With manager Damien Richardson ill, Hill will be in charge for the game in what is a milestone for football in Ireland after Cork became the first Irish team to reach the first round proper of the UEFA Cup.
A 0-0 draw with Djurgarden IF saw Cork progress courtesy of the away goals rule following a 1-1 scoreline in Gothenburg and Hill insists Cork will employ the same tactics that have served the team so well in their qualifying campaign.
“We will employ the European style of football, keep the ball and enjoy good possession just like Manchester United or Chelsea – try to score and try not to concede,” he said.
“We will approach it exactly the same as our previous two games in Europe.
“We will go out and play our own game. We have scored both times away from home so hopefully we can do that again and get an away goal, but we don’t want to concede.”
Tonight’s leg sees the Eircom League leaders play in the Evzena Rosickeho Strahov Stadium before returning home for the return clash at Turner’s Cross on September 29.
Slavia have had a mixed start to the season, winning only one and losing two of their first five games, but Hill refuses to read anything into their form.
“It is very early in their season,” he said. “But we cannot afford to be too complacent.”
Instead, Hill insists he is looking forward to the game – even if he will be without manager Richardson who is having treatment to a clot on the lung.
Hill was in charge for Cork’s previous game – a 3-0 win over Bray Wanderers - and he will be joined by goalkeeping coach Phil Harrington.
He said: “Damien is the manager and he will pick the side, but during the game myself and Phil Harrington will be making the decisions.”
While admitting Richardson’s absence is a blow, the former defender insists the players have to apply themselves to the job in hand.
He told the Irish Examiner: “Yes, his influence is a big loss but the players must turn that negative into a positive and get Damien the result that means the tie is still there for him in two weeks’ time when, hopefully, he is back.”
Hill claims the interest in the match in Cork is at fever pitch, with up to 600 Irish fans expected to travel to Prague.
“There has been a tremendous reaction,” he revealed. “Due to restrictions there will only be about five and a half thousand at the return leg but otherwise it would have been packed.”
Alan Bennett (hamstring) is Cork’s biggest injury concern but he has flown to Prague and will be monitored in training, while Dan Murray and Neale Horgan should have recovered from the dead legs they received in the game with Bray.
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